


postcards from a shooting star

by pineovercoat



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, first kiss(es), i can't properly tag this Slow Burn for Reasons but the spirit of the idea is there trust me, mutual idiots, this started as a 5+1 that quickly got out of hand and i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-09-28 21:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17190488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineovercoat/pseuds/pineovercoat
Summary: So let us part like we always do...And in a world without youI'll dream of you.[HIATUS]





	postcards from a shooting star

**Author's Note:**

> ok i'll try to keep this brief:
> 
> 1\. This whole thing touches on the concept of nightmares (esp. of friends in peril) at the start so please be aware of that. It isn't any imagery that's not already present in canon but forewarning that this chapter does open on a nightmare. 
> 
> 2\. I wrote this bulk of this in October and have been trying to wrangle it into something legible ever since. For this to work, we're all gonna have to hold hands and agree that I've seen absolutely none of the story elements hinted at in the trailers (especially recent ones- there is no point in trying make sense of a timeline of events from the word and pictures alphabet soup thrown at me by them and I refuse to lol). We're operating on the assumption that I know almost nothing Plot Related post dream-drop/0.2 (Dark Aqua footage being a good example of that) except for CELL PHONES THEY HAVE CELL PHONES NOW because the thought of soriku texting each other is Important To Me- I'm getting jossed in less than three weeks anyway, so let's party, canon divergence stylez!
> 
> fondly nicknamed _'dream lover by bobby darin and other oldies hits'_ , or _Dream Drop (No) Distance_ -other unofficial theme songs are 'genius of love' by tom tom club/'fantasy' by mariah carey. _I'm in heaven with my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend, there's no beginning and there is no end, time isn't present in that dimensionnn-_
> 
> let's see if I can get this all out there before KH3, ofc juggling updates on TTWL. I'll continue regardless even if I don't swing it tho. I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> UPDATE: 7/10. I take a hammer and I fix the fanfic. stay tuned.

There was a noise itching at Sora's ear, on the very edge of his awareness.

It was a strange kind of hum, he thought, cocking his head as he tried to place it- warm and mellow and sweet. It reminded him of the amber and rose colors of dawn, of the back and forth of waves breaking, crashing, and curling home in their timeless rhythm.

A round, open sort of sound, it echoed in his head until the sound swelled inside of him, rising like a tide. As he listened, head turned to the symphony, it changed, raising in pitch until it was no longer music, but something more shrill, grating, unnatural- a scream. Animal and awful, it filled all of him with cold dread, especially because, he realized, it was so _familiar_ -

Sora whirled, panicked. His eyes landed on Riku, struggling, his black boots scraping over red earth as he rose into the air, soles searching desperately for purchase on ground that was moving further away with each passing second-

A strange suit of armor was lifting him, crowned and feathered and as unsettlingly familiar as the music- a single hand clamped over Riku’s face, brutal in its strength, bearing down with crushing force. Riku scrabbled at the metal of the gauntlet, fingers curled and bloody. His keyblade lay broken and useless at his feet, a dawn that would never come- even as darkness, long denied its prize, licked up from the ground to consume him entirely.

The armor fell away, piece by piece, consumed by the dark fire as well, revealing white hair and a terrible, piercing stare aimed right at him-

_He will wander forever_ , Xehanort promised, yellow eyes fixing on him triumphantly, his voice rich and horrible with victory.

“ _Riku!_ ” Sora cried out, jolting upwards, his hand outstretched into the darkness.

Light and heat gathered around his fingers, the weight of the keyblade already forming in his palm, a spell boiling in his blood before he realized that he was no longer dreaming. He was awake, he told himself, reaching out with his heart, trusting his eyes. He was awake, and alone, and it wasn’t real.

He panted for breath, kicking the sheets free of his legs. Everything was too hot, too close, too dark. He put his back to the wall, eyes hot with the tears threatening to stream down his cheeks, and tried to breathe quietly. In, out, in, out-

All around him, the gummi ship slept. The soft hum of recycled air reverberated throughout the cabin. Sora held his breath instead and focused his hearing, hoping he hadn’t woken Donald or Goofy with the noise. After a moment, he heard a snore, and relaxed slightly, sinking back down into bed.

Another night, another nightmare.

He turned his head into the pillow, slammed a useless fist against the mattress, and did his best to stifle an infuriated scream.

-

Sleep didn’t come easy after the exam.

Sora might have guessed after the first night wasted staring at blandly painted walls, now familiar with them to the point of memorization- but troubled sleep was honestly the least he expected after what he’d been through. His friends the Dream Eaters did their best, but the nightmares were a persistent enemy, and always found ways to slip their watch. He tried to stay positive, to catch snatches of sleep where he could, and make up for the rest with magic, but it wore on him. He was just shy of two weeks out from the exam, and the dark circles under his eyes already felt like they’d moved in for good.

The lack of sleep left him sluggish, unfocused. He dragged his feet through the day and through battles, struggling through maneuvers that had once come easily to him. The nightmares followed him into the early hours of the day, leaving him jittery and jumping at shadows.

But the failure, the worst of all, followed him everywhere.

As much as he wanted to wipe the slate clean of the shame of the whole disaster, he knew he’d been taught a valuable lesson by it. And, he figured, if he had to have nightmares, he was grateful that at least they were the natural kind- not a single hint of Xehanort’s unnatural influence beyond the memory of what he’d done, warped and twisted by his fears. But still.

Yen Sid said he needed to find ways regain his strength, rebuild the confidence and the powers that he’d lost, and find new ones, too, like the power of waking- but really, he thought, digging the heel of his hands into his eyes, what he wanted was to _rest_ , to have a single good night’s sleep. Well, that, and-

His phone blinked with new messages all the time, so much so that he struggled to muster up the energy to respond- pictures from Kairi, with her boot planted squarely on Lea’s back as he mimed an exaggeratedly dead face, tongue lolling, while Merlin posed in the background, looking utterly lost as to his place and purpose in the frame; Ienzo, with the latest results of his digs into Ansem the Wise’s research data; Chip and Dale, chattering away about ship blueprints and the newest upgrades to implement; Mickey, with his brief but characteristically cheerful updates from the Realm of Darkness-

But none from Riku.

Sora thought of his latest nightmare, this time of Riku at Xehanort’s mercy- but it could just as easily have been the darkness itself, or any number of foes, depending on the night- and breathed a sigh.

He knew Riku was okay. Mickey would have told him that much. He knew Riku was busy. Most importantly, he knew Riku was there for him, always, even when they were apart. He knew it like he knew his own name, and he knew it was the same for him.

In light of that, it felt downright childish to admit that there were times he wished Riku could actually _be_ there, not just an afterthought in a message, or in his dreams (or rather, on the other side of them), but _beside_ him, in the waking world, proof that he was alright, and that everything else would be alright in turn. They made a good team, and he felt safer knowing Riku had his back. The darkness they were facing was a kind Riku knew personally, and seeing him stand so tall against it despite that made him feel stronger too, like he could do the same.

The exam was long over, though, and it wasn’t like Riku owed him that, or like he even expected it. He’d done enough. He’d done more than enough, always had, and he was off doing even more now.

But… it wasn’t _so_ selfish of him to wish for his best friend now and then, was it?

Sora stared at his phone in the darkness, index finger poised over the screen. A thousand thoughts ran through his hand, half formed ones that amounted to nothing useful or necessary. Another moment passed, and he frowned, dragging his hand down his face.

Setting the phone and temptation aside, he rolled out of bed. The loneliness would pass. So would the fear. All it would take was the kind of distance that only time could provide, and the odd distraction here or there in the meantime- lucky for him, adventure was usually kind enough to supply both.

Things to do, people to see, and most important of all, worlds to save- Sora stretched and turned his thoughts to coordinates and gateways and the bigger picture. Everyone else was out there doing their part, he reminded himself, as he set course for the console of the gummi ship. It was time to stop fretting about them, and do his.

**Author's Note:**

> shout-out to best people ever [parkadescandal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkadescandal/pseuds/parkadescandal) and [ sirladysketch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirLadySketch/pseuds/SirLadySketch) for your insight and encouragement (hounding)-- both of ur guyses' thoughtful comments and open ears are invaluable, would you like some cheese with that whine? i owe u for all of it, lol


End file.
